My Story #62 -- Battery Problem

 

My Story #62

BATTERY PROBLEM

Once my car's battery went bad, and the car stopped. I did not know what to do. I did not have jumper cables, so no one could help if they wanted to unless they had cables. So, I sat there and just waited--no cell phones then.

Then, an old, nearly dilapidated truck pulled in front of my car, and I think it was three boys got out and asked if I needed help. I said, "Yes, do you have jumper cables." One of the boys said, "No, we don't need jumper cables." I said, well I just need a jump to get the car started to try to get home. The boy said, "No problem." Then he went to the truck and took the battery out of the truck, brought it back to my car, took my battery out of the car and replaced it with the battery from the truck. Then I started my car.

He then switched out the batteries back, and I was ready to be on my way. I had never seen anything like that in my whole life. I was thankful and went on my way and arrived home. Later I had to get a new battery. 

 

My Story #61 -- Just A Peek

 My Story #61

JUST A PEEK

Ronnie W. Wolfe -- 12-13-2021

I was in the ninth grade when in the school at Morgan, Kentucky, I was offered an opportunity to take a typing class. The only other elective that was available was Agriculture, and I had no desire to take that class, though I thought I might have to do so.

The principal, Mr. Gulick, took me into his office and asked if I would like to take typing, and I said yes. In those days typing was offered only to grades 11 and 12, but I was the one exception to that rule.

My parents decided to buy me a portable typewriter. They bought one and put it under our Christmas tree at home packaged up really well.

My brother, as his wont was, could not stand to think he did not know what was in the present, so he colluded with me (against my will) to open the gift just to see what it was, then seal it back up so no one would be the wiser. He said to me, "Now, when you open this later, act surprised." Well, how in the world could I act surprised when I know exactly what is in the gift wrapping? I just hated what he had done. He ruined my real surprise. Do you have a brother like that?

Well, the typewriter served me for several years, and I was happy to have it; but to this day I cannot overcome the feeling that I had when my brother had to have "Just A Peek."

 

Caught In The Act

 

My Story #60

CAUGHT IN THE ACT

Pastor Ronnie Wolfe

So, it's time to mow the yard, which I used to do for a few years until I got too old to do it.

I would usually get on the small riding mower and leave my crutches in the garage so I could drive the mower into the garage and get the crutches when I was finished mowing.

One day, while mowing the front yard, the mower ran out of gas, and there I was down in the middle of the yard away from my crutches, so I could not walk with my crutches to the garage to get more gas.

So, I watched to see that no one was traveling down the road, and I got off the mower and began to crawl to the garage to get my crutches. I noticed a car coming down the road, so I just stopped and sat while the car went by. After the car passed, I felt sure that no one was watching, so I crawled the rest of the way to the garage, got the gas, put the gas in the mower, and then I tied my crutches to the mower so this would not happen again. It would have been SO embarrassing if someone had seen me crawling up the hill to the garage. Whew! Got by with that one.

Some time later, I stopped in to my neighbor's house, because they were having a yard sale. I went to the back of the house and sat with the man to talk a while. I was telling him about the experience, and you will never guess what he said. He said, "Yeah, I know. I was sitting right here watching everything that happened. You can't keep any secrets from me.

. . . be sure your sin will find you out (Numbers 32:23).

 

My Story #59 - "Black Keys Only"

  

My Story #59

BLACK KEYS ONLY

At 10 years old I was not a very good pianist, but I played piano all the time. I was learning melodies often, but I knew nothing about harmony or chords.

Gum Lick Baptist Church needed a piano player, and the word got out that I could play piano, so my parents were approached about my coming to church there to play piano for them for a while, which I did.

Little did they know that I had no idea that songs were written in different key signatures. Since I played in what I later learned was 6 Flats (almost all black notes), every song was sung in this key of G Flat (I think).

Sometimes the congregation were singing so low that they could hardly make a sound; other times they were singing so high that they were nearly screaming. I was never scolded nor ridiculed for my playing, so we just went through this spell of singing too high and too low.

I don't know how many people would even remember those days, but I am sure that someone somewhere remembers the highs and lows of that experience.

Now that I have learned more about chords and key signatures, I can more easily adjust for highs and lows. By the way, I no longer play in G Flat (ever) unless it is for fun. God is gracious.

 

My Story #58 - "What Is That?"

 

My Story #58

WHAT IS THAT?

When we lived in Chesapeake, Ohio, my wife sometimes cooked sausage and apples together. One day she did that and sat the dish on the table.

One of my little boys said, "What is that?" I said, "Those are sausages." He said, "Ostriches?" My other son said, "No, silly, they're hostages."

 

My Story #57 - Supper With Bluegrass Boys

 

My Story #57

Supper With Bluegrass Boys

One never knows what kind of conversations can be had when the Bluegrass Boys Quartet eat together. It doesn't matter whether others are there of not; we always have much to say. We tell stories from events in the past, discuss how to solve certain problems we may have, or just say funny things and laugh.

Either Friday or Saturday evening we were eating at Bob Evans Restaurant, and Bob Jones brought up the story about the quartet's going to a small church in Kentucky which was hard to reach. We drove so far; then we had to get out and walk. He told about how we were walking where it had rained, and the ground was really muddy. He said that, when I was walking, my crutches sank into the ground almost up to my hands. Then, he said, Demas Brubacher came back to try to help me to get the crutches out of the mud, and with both of our working, it was almost impossible to do it. I suppose everything worked out all right, because I am here today. Then he said that, when we got to the church, we had to break into the building. Then, he said, I took the piano apart to work on it before we sang. Now, that I did from time to time, scaring some of the members to death; but I would never damage a piano, as you can image.

Bob Jones is the one who asked me to write this today, so here it is for what it is worth. I just say, "Stay out of the mud, and don't tear pianos apart. You will live longer, no doubt.

 

My Story #56

Ronnie W. Wolfe
How Many Falls? God Is Good!

I have fallen many times in my life. I can remember a few. I have already mentioned the time that I was going to the barn to see my father, but I tripped on the step own from our front porch and fell on a huge rock and landed on my nose. My nose bled, but I was all right after a little while. God is good!

When I was about seven years old, my brother and I were going to the neighbor's house to do some work, and my brother placed me neatly into the basket on his bicycle. Then we took off up the road. When we got near the neighbor's house, my brother said, "How am I going to stop and get you out of that basket?" I said, "I don't know." Then he turned his bike to the left, went to the side of the road and kept going until he ran into a fence. I was dropped across the fence onto the ground in some very soft grass. Isn't God good!

My sister and I were at the creek with my parents when a storm was coming up, and my sister and I got on a horse together to go to the house per our parents' instructions. As we we going up the hill, a limb hit me in the head, and I fell off the horse onto a pile of rocks. I got up and walked the rest of the way. Isn't God good!

In 12th grade, we had to go downstairs to prepare some things for our graduation, and I lost my balance and fell down about 12-13 concrete steps. I remember only getting up and going on safely. Isn't God good!

In Lexington, living in an upstairs room, I began to go down the steps to go to work, and I hooked my crutch handle in my coat pocket and pulled myself down the steps, and I rolled down the steps and landed on the floor. Both my arms were paralyzed. No one was home with me. I lay there for a couple of minutes, and my arms began to tingle. Then, after a few more minutes, I could move my arms. After somewhere between five and ten minutes, I got up and went on to work. Isn't God good!

Well, God is good no matter what may have happened in my falls, but you know that I am thankful that God has taken care of his old sinner all of these years. I know the Lord is with me, and I trust him. God is really good to his saints.

 

Three Lost Boys

 My Story #54

Three Lost Boys

Once in about 1980-81, my wife and I had put to bed three cute little boys, which were ages about 4, 5, and 7, the day had wound down, and my wife and I had settled down for a nice rest for the night.

But before we were in our bed to sleep for the night, the phone rang, and the party on the other end of the call was a neighbor and a member of the church that I pastured at that time. He said, "Are you missing some boys?" I said, "No, my boys are in bed asleep." He answered, "Well, there are three little boys here in my living room that look a lot like your three little boys."

Stunned and confused, I went into the bedroom where my boys were supposed to be asleep and noticed that there was not even one little boy there. Well, you can image how confused and anxious I was.

When my wife and I got to the neighbor's house, he told us that the oldest boy told them that I said they could come to his house, which, of course, I did not. I took the boys home and scolded them straightly with a little fear in my heart, because the road that they had walked down to get to the neighbor's house was a very busy road with a lot of traffic.

Now, this is only the beginning of the story. A month or two later my wife and I stopped at a house in the town to visit a yard sale. I told the lady who I was, and she said, "Oh, you are the one who has the three little boys who walked down the road to the neighbor's house running away from home, aren't you?" I said, "How do you know about that?" She answered, "Well, nearly everyone in town knows about that!"

Boy, what a reputation an innocent pastor can get just because he has three little boys who tried to run away from home. I shall never live this down--now I am telling everyone about it myself! How about that?

 

My Story #53

 Ronnie W. Wolfe

Trip Of A Lifetime

I do not remember the year, but our quartet was scheduled to travel to Hollywood, Florida, for a revival meeting. I left Chesapeake, Ohio, where I was pasturing to drive to Lexington, Kentucky, to pick up Wayne Hart so we could travel together to Florida.

Once in the car I began to drive, and Wayne sat in the passenger's seat and talked and talked with me until we reached somewhere near Atlanta, Georgia. I asked Wayne if he wanted to get a motel room and spend the night to break up our trip. He said he would drive a while if we could just keep going. I agreed, and Wayne got into the driver's seat and began to drive.

Wayne drove for about 1 1/2 hours and woke me up and said, "I am getting really sleepy. I don't think I can drive any farther." So, we stopped and switched back so I could drive. I drove all the way from that point to our destination.

It was early in the morning when we reached the church. We went through the day visiting with people after a short nap and later had a wonderful dinner. Then we went to church for a long service.

After church, I went into the room the church provided for me, and I went to sleep. I slept all night. When I awoke the next morning, I ate a little breakfast and then went back to bed. I slept all night and nearly all day every day throughout that week, because I was simply exhausted. I don't believe I have been the same since.

We made it through the week and got back home safe. It was a good meeting, and I am thankful. But I will never again take on a venture like this one. I don't think Wayne would have, either.

 

My Story #53

 

Dream, Disaster, And Delight

Dream

Dreams seemed to be a pattern in my life as in my mother's. Some of these dreams seemed to come true. One dream I shall never forget if I live to be 1,000 years old.

Before I was married, I lived with my mother for about two years after my father died. While living there, a small boy named David was our next-door neighbor. He and I became friends, and he came to my mother's house almost every day to be with us. Sometimes he would eat with us, and once in a while he would stay all night.

One night, after I had married, I dreamed that he drowned. There was an old cistern at our barn, which no one used anymore, and I dreamed that he drowned in that cistern. As we all looked into the cistern after he fell in, I noticed that bubbles kept coming up so that we could not find him. Over and over again this effervescence came up, hiding the whereabouts of David.

When I awoke from the dream, I had a sad feeling, but I knew it was only a dream. The next time I saw David, I told him about the dream, and we laughed. I also told my wife but no one else.

Disaster

Time went on for about a month; and, to make a long story short, my wife and I discovered that the boy had drowned in a creek below my mother's house. This was so sad for me and my wife. Those searching for David's body did not find it for 28 days, and I went to the coroner's office to identify David, because the family did not want to see him like that.

Delight

The funeral director could not open the casket; it was closed at the funeral. I preached the funeral. This was one of the hardest funerals I have ever had to officiate. But, during the message of the gospel at that funeral, a young girl was saved by God's grace. That was a great delight.

When my second son was born, I gave him the middle name of David, after this boy. Fortunately, I took a very good picture of David before his death, and I still have an 8x10 of him. Every time I go to the cemetery where this boy is buried, I have to go to his grave and honor the memory that God gave me of this young man. He was eleven years old.

P. S. After this affair, I spoke to my mother about our dreams and made a covenant with her that we would ask God to take away these dreams, and the Lord did just that. God is SO good!

 

Being Discovered

 My Story #50
Ronnie W. Wolfe

From the time that I was seven years old and first began to play piano on my own, learning from simply experimenting on the keyboard and from others' dropping a hint my way from time to time, I could not easily stay away from any keyboard that was around anywhere. Every time I saw a keyboard, whether it were in a story, in someone's house, or especially in a church auditorium, I just could not stay away from it.

When I first went to Lexington, Kentucky, and began to attend Ashland Avenue Baptist Church, the church doors were open all the time, day and night. As a result, I would go there from time to time, enter the building and go back to one of the Sunday School classes (or wherever I could find a piano) and began to practice.

Once, while I was practicing in Judge Adam's classroom, Bob Jones entered the room and had not heard me play the piano before. He listened for a little while and then approached me to see if I would play for a singing group. I told him that "I do not play that kind of music." Then he asked me if I would just practice with them. I said I would, and a time was set. The end of this story is that I have been practicing with a singing group ever since. This began our version of the Blue Grass Boys.

 

Preaching Up A Storm

 

My Story #49

Ronnie W. Wolfe

When I was still in my 20's, I was asked to preach in a small country church in Pendleton County, Kentucky, at a revival meeting. I remember that in the middle of that afternoon I went into an old country barn and prayed that the Lord would give me a good message to preach to the church that evening.

As I looked through my Bible, I came upon Luke Chapter 5 where the Lord went out a little from the land and sat down in the boat and taught the people out of the ship. I took no notes, but I thought hard and prayed hard that God would give me words to say, and he did.

While I was preaching that evening, a great storm came up around the church house; there was lightning and thunder. The rain came down hard. The harder the thunder cracked, the louder I preached.

After the service, my cousin came running down the isle and was about to hug me from her excitement of hearing me preach for her first time. She ran and grabbed me and pushed me down. Then she fell down on top of me. It would have been very embarrassing if it had not been so funny. She said, "Boy, you really preached up a storm tonight." I guess she was right about that.

 

Of All Of These

Ronnie W. Wolfe – © September 9, 2021

Of all the sermons that I have preached,
Of all the words that I have sung,
Of all the languages I could speak,
Or in my mother tongue,

There never was a word could say
What needs to flow from me
To tell how much the love of God
So surely set me free.

Of all the books that all men wrote
And dictionaries filled
With words of no ordinary speech,
And meaning there fulfilled,

They would not meet the need divine,
Express my every praise,
For everything my Lord has done
Through everlasting days.

There is no earthly language here,
Though poets hard express,
That meets the need for heav’nly love
Our lonely hearts to bless.

Though prayers are prayed with deepest want
To give God heav’nly due,
Each prayer in life falls weary short
When we tell the Lord “a-deu”

Amen to all the words worked out
To try to give God praise,
Though weak and weary our longing words,
His blessings he relays.

Living In That New Land

 

Ronnie W. Wolfe – 9-8-2021

When this body deceased lies in state
And when the grave and bier lie cold,
My hope remains in Christ my Lord;
My heart will not grow old.

I’m waiting for the final call
For my body to come home
To rise from this my dead, cold grave;
But I’ll not go alone.

For Christ shall come with trumpet sound
To raise my body here
To take it to a bright, new place
Be with my Savior Dear.

I’ll have a body just like his,
No vanities in my hand.
I’ll sing and praise the God of heaven
Living in that new land.

 

 My Story #48

Pastor Ronnie Wolfe

My First Public Prayer

I suppose I was somewhere around 14 years old when, for the first time, the pastor of our church called on me to pray at church. I had often thought what I would do if asked to pray in public, but I never once thought that I would be asked at my young age.

A million thoughts went through my head as I wondered what I would say when talking to my Lord in the presence of other people. I had never done that before except for a prayer of thanks at a meal.

In my shock, I quickly thought that it does not matter about the people around me but that I was to talk to the Lord about our worship to him in the Lord's house and a few other things.

As I bowed my head, with all heads bowed and eyes closed, I began to speak to the Lord, forgetting about the people around me. I actually enjoyed my short talk with the Lord, and I remember saying "In Jesus' name, Amen."

That was the first time. When I got home, in the afternoon I began to think about what had happened. Then I thought, "So, this is how it begins."

Every boy/man who prays in public had to start the same way. The first time is paramount, but the prayers come easier. I just hope that, after we have become accustomed to praying aloud, we do not take it for granted and just say words rather than to actually talk to the Lord.

We need prayer, both private and public, but we need for those prayers to be fervent prayer to God, not just a public, mundane bunch of words to please the crowd or simply to do a job.

 

My First Car

 My Story #47

Ronnie W. Wolfe   9-1-2021

My First Car

I left home at 17 years old after graduating from high school. I attended Fugazzi Business College at first. I had no car, so I had to walk to and from school and to church and other places in Lexington, Kentucky.

After graduating business school, I had to get a job and work until I could get enough money together to purchase a car. That took a while, as I continued to walk everywhere. My first job was at First Security National Bank in downtown Lexington. The bank extended me a loan to purchase my first car.

I remember going to a car lot to pick out a used car. I saw this beautiful 1956 Chevy Bel Aire for $399.00. I had fallen in love with one of these by seeing one that my cousin had, and I decided then that, if possible, I would one day own one. Hers was a brand new one, but mine was a few years old (about 7 years old). I bought mine in 1963. My payments were approximately $33.00 per month, and I made somewhere around $40.00-$45.00 per week working; so it took most of one-week's pay check to make the payment. Then I had to pay the insurance.

Then there was the work of getting a driver's permit, driving with a licensed driver for a couple of weeks, then going downtown to take my driver's test.

But, before I could do that, I had to have a hand control for my car. So, I drew one out on a piece of paper and took the drawing to a machine shop, and the shop built what I designed (with a little help from them in the design), and they installed the control on the car. Then they drove the car to my house and parked it there.

After obtaining my driver's permit, I needed a licensed driver to be with me in the car as I learned to drive. A 16-year-old boy lived across the street, and he had just received his driver's license that week. I asked him if he would like to go for a drive, and he agreed. He got in the car with me, and I went directly downtown in the middle of town to begin my driver training.

I actually did not kill anyone or have a wreck, because my landlady said, "All you have to do is to stay between the lines." This was very helpful.

When I took my driver's license, the policeman who was in the car with me asked me if I had power brakes and steering, and I said, "No." He said, "Well, I don't know about this." As we went through about a half-hour test right downtown, he said, "This beats all I have ever seen. If you don't have a wreck between here and the courthouse, you have your license." I have been driving ever since. Whew! Thank the Lord.

 

My Story #46

 Ronnie Wolfe

"Please Help Me; I'm Falling"

"God Is Good"

I am sure you remember the old song by this title "Please help me; I'm falling." Today for some reason I was thinking of the many time that I have fallen and how the Lord protected me through all of it.

I have already mentioned before how that, when I was seven years old, I stumbled off the front porch of our house and landed on my nose right on a rough rock. My nose bled, but I did not get hurt too much; my feelings were hurt more than my body. God is good.

In grade school and one year of high school I went to Morgan School, Morgan, Kentucky. Especially in the elementary school building, there were many steps; but I do not remember falling at all in that building or in the larger high school building, which also had many steps.

When I was a senior in Pendleton County Memorial High School; there I fell down approximately 12 concrete steps, popped myself right back up and went on my way. God is good.

In Lexington, Kentucky, in the house where I lived, I slept upstairs. One morning, I was ready to leave for work, and I was coming down the stairway that had, I think, 13 steps, then to the right two more steps. When I was going down the steps, I caught one of crutches on the pocket of my coat and pulled myself down; and I rolled down almost all of those steps, turned right and went on down the other two. I landed flat on my back.

When I tried to get up, I could not move either arm. I just lay there like a brick and could not move. Then, as a few minutes went by, my fingers and hands began to tingle, and then my arms began to tingle. It was not but a few minutes until I was able to get up and go right on to work. God is good.

When my legs began to swell, my legs, while I was walking, would rub against the locks on my braces and unlock the braces; then I would fall. I fell several times and got a black eye once or twice, but eventually the people at the brace shop put on some ball bearings that would keep the locks locked, and I have had no problem since. God is good.

Once I was beginning to go down the steps toward the front door at church, and I lost my balance. I fell straight forward down the steps (about six steep steps), I caught myself on my hands; but, as my arms were week, I could not hold myself up, and I scraped my face on the carpet. All I had was a very red face where my face rubbed against the carpet and took off the skin. I have a picture to prove this. No more harm. God is good.

 

________________________

My Story #45

By Ronnie W Wolfe

"Breaking The Piano"

When I played piano and later sang with the Bluegrass Boys Quartet (both the first group and the second group), I remember that, when we would go into a church to set up for our singing, the first thing I would do was to take off the front part of the piano on the bottom and adjust the piano peddle to make the pressing down of it with my weak left foot a little easier.

Sometimes the pastor would come in, or some other people would come into the building and see me with the piano apart and would think that I was tearing up the piano, but I was not. I was just making an adjustment. I did this very often.

Now my left foot is so week that I put a hymnal under my foot to get leverage to help press down the sustain peddle. Sometimes this works, and sometimes it does not.

This is not so bad when one realizes that, not only did I tear apart the piano, but either Demas Brubacher or Bobby Lakes sometimes would break into the church building by working with the lock until the door would open. Fortunately, no one ever had to go to jail for either one of these capers

 

The Sabbath

Thoughts On The Sabbath

Dr. Pastor Ronnie Wolfe -- October 24, 2017

You might want to copy, paste and print this. It is long.

It is important that we as believers know why we worship on Sunday. Although Sunday is not the Jewish Sabbath, the book of Hebrews tells us that there remaineth a rest (a Sabbath-keeping) for the children of God. This, I believe, is our Sunday, the first day of the week, observed for rest and worship by the apostles and the first church in Jerusalem and believers and other churches thereafter. Here are some interesting things about the Sabbath and the use of Sunday as our Lord's Day today.

I. FIRST SABBATH MEANING AS A DAY OF REST

Genesis 2:2 And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. 

So a Sabbath to the whole world was given as the seventh day for people to rest and to worship the Lord, because God rested on the seventh day.

II. SECOND MEANING AS CELEBRATING EXODUS FROM EGYPT

The Sabbath was to continue to be kept by Israel after Israel was called out of Egypt, for Exodus 20:8 says, Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. They were already observing the Sabbath, so they are to remember the Sabbath, or continue to observe it.

However, the reason for keeping the Sabbath changed. To see this, we must read from Deuteronomy:

Deuteronomy 5:12-15 Keep the sabbath day to sanctify it, as the Lord thy God hath commanded thee. 13 Six days thou shalt labour, and do all thy work: 14 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, nor thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thine ox, nor thine ass, nor any of thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates; that thy manservant and thy maidservant may rest as well as thou. 15 And remember that thou wast a servant in the land of Egypt, and that the LORD thy God brought thee out thence through a mighty hand and by a stretched out arm: therefore the LORD thy God commanded thee to keep the sabbath day.

III. THE MEANING CHANGES AGAIN AFTER THE EXILE

We see the same Sabbath continuing to be observed, but the meaning changes again after Israel returns to their land after their captivity in Babylon:

Jeremiah 16:14-15 Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that it shall no more be said, The LORD liveth, that brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt; (and Israel kept the Sabbath for this reason) 15 But, The LORD liveth, that brought up the children of Israel from the land of the north, and from all the lands whither he had driven them: and I will bring them again into their land that I gave unto their fathers.

In our previous point, Israel observed the Sabbath because of their exodus from Egypt. That is mentioned again here to show that now they will observe the Sabbath for their deliverance from Babylon.

IV. NEW TESTAMENT SABBATH

In the New Testament the Jews continued to observe the Sabbath because of their deliverance from Babylon. Jesus kept the Sabbath because he was a Jew and under the law, but he also went into the synagogues to preach the gospel to the Jews. The seventh-day Sabbath was a Jewish day. Gentiles were never required to keep this day.

Paul kept the law, so he also kept the Sabbath in New Testament times; but, after the Lord resurrected, believers did not meet on the seventh day, nor did they observe a Sabbath for being delivered from Babylon. Believers observed another day, and that day was the first day of the week. You may look up that phrase in your Bible and see that they worshiped on the first day, not the seventh day, and that because Jesus resurrected from the dead on the first day of the week. See 1 Cor. 16:2.

Also, we learn that the Jewish Saturday Sabbath was abolished as a shadow of things to come: Colossians 2:14-17 Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; 15 And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it. 16 Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: 17 Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.

Hebrews 4:8 For if Jesus had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day. We believe this other day is the first day of the week, or The Lord's Day. But bear with me for one more important point.

Hebrews 4:9 continues this thought:  9 There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. The word REST here literally is a sabbath-keeping. Our Sabbath is not a Jewish day but a day for Jews and Gentiles alike. It is a day to rest from our work and to give worship to God because of his death, burial, and resurrection. We do not call it a sabbath-keeping, because that would connect it too closely with the Jewish Sabbath. We call it the Lord's day with John, who wrote the book of Revelation.

Now we are left with one more reference from Hebrews, which encourages us to meet together on the Lord's day for rest and worship: Hebrews 10:25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

Even if this rest in Hebrews is taken as our spiritual rest in Christ, we still have enough Scriptural proof that today we are not to keep the Saturday Sabbath but to assemble on the first day of the week because of Christ's resurrection.

• All ten commandments are reiterated in the New Testament except for "Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy."
• So, no commandment is given to Christians to keep it.
• The Saturday Sabbath is a Jewish day and does not apply to Gentiles.
• There is no warning in the New Testament for not keeping the Sabbath as there is in the Old Testament.
  

 

My Story #44

Ronnie W. Wolfe

"Leading The Blind"

Several of you know Bro. Gene Cox. He was one of my best friends in school when we were attending Lexington Baptist College. Last week I told the church here about the time that I allowed Gene to drive my car. You must keep in mind, now, that Gene Cox is blind.

I told Gene one day that I was going to let him do something that he has never done and may never do again. He, of course, was curious what that would be. I told him I was going to let him drive my car. It was hard for even him to believe.

I told him to get into the driver's seat. He did. I showed him by feel where the gas peddle and brake peddle were. I directed him to the ignition and gave him the car key. I told him what to do to start the car. He did not do bad. The car was running now.

Then I asked him to take hold of the steering wheel and turn it as far to the left as he could and hold it there. He did. I told him, then, to hold the brake and put the car in gear. I think I helped him a little on this.

Then I told him to take his foot off from the brake and step on the gas peddle and push very easily. He did very well at that. The car started going forward, and we went around and around and around in circles as he held the steering wheel all the way to the left.

He was very excited, and I was excited, too, to allow a blind man to drive. I don't know for sure, but I believe, no doubt, that he has not done that since.

By the way, Gene was (and maybe still is) in the hospital. I pray he is home by now.

God bless you, Gene. I miss those days of wonder.

Oh yes, we both made it out alive!

 

My Story #43

 Dr. Ronnie W. Wolfe

Preachers have dreams, and many of the preachers tell me that they have this same dream or something like it. It is a dream in which the preacher is to speak to a large crowd. He is somewhere around but not yet in front of the crowd. The time is drawing nearer and nearer to the time when he is to speak, but the preacher has a problem (one of many). It could be that he cannot find his Bible or his notes. It could be that he is not yet at the church when it is already time for him to speak. But, whatever it is, there is something hindering him from his speech. I had a dream once that I was to preach in just a minute or two, and for some reason I could make my way to the pulpit. I was behind a large group of people with no way to reach the podium to preach. I awoke without ever making it to the pulpit to preach.

In real life preaching is one of the greatest activities that I enjoy. God called me at age 18 to preach his word, and God stimulated by conscience to so my best. Although I am not the finest preach in the world, I do want to be; and I work hard a using the gift that God has given me. That is all God requires, and I am satisfied to do that. It is not my preaching that honors God; it is God's word that honor's God.

 

My Story #42

Pastor Dr. Ronnie W. Wolfe

Today I am remembering those who down through the many years of my life have loved me, helped me, remembered me in prayer, written to me, called me, and associated with me in many different ways. I pray that I have been half the friend to them as they have to me. I have tried to be a witness of the Gospel to many people through the years, and the Lord has been gracious to save many of those people, whether it was through preaching from a pulpit or sitting down personally with a person to give the Gospel.

The Gospel of Jesus Christ is powerful unto salvation, the Apostle Paul said, and it is true. There is nothing like witnessing to someone and then see their countenance change, their heart changed, a new life arise in their soul, and a new attitude of love for God's people and a desire to serve the Lord.

Sadly, many to whom I have witnessed did not trust the Lord Jesus as Savior, and for that my heart is broken. I cannot force someone to trust the Lord; all I can do is give them the good news of the Gospel and pray that God will change their heart to believe in Jesus Christ and surrender to be the Lord's servant for the rest of their lives.

 

No Hope In Heaven

 Dr. Ronnie Wolfe

It may seem strange that I would write the expression "No Hope In Heaven," but it is a biblical truth. Everyone on earth needs some kind of hope, or life would be a disaster.

Earthy, human hope is a passing thing. We hope for a better future. We hope for more money or that someone will be well from a serious illness. This is expected in this life, and we all have hopes like this. Some people even hope to get to heaven with this same kind of passing hope.

But for the Christian, our hope is not a passing hope but an eternal one. Hebrews 6:19  Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil;

We know that this is truth from several Scriptures:

(1) Philippians 1:6  Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ: 

(2) 2 Corinthians 1:10  Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us;

Notice another Scripture on HOPE:

Romans 8:24  For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?

If a thing is seen, then it is not hoped for, because hope has been fulfilled. At this present time, we have a sure and stedfast hope of heaven. That means that we have not seen it yet, but we shall see it at the time we are delivered from this world. Then it will not be hope but sight.

In heaven, then, our faith will be turned to sight, so there will be no faith in heaven. By the same token, hope will be turned to sight, so there will be no hope in heaven. When we are in heaven, faith and hope will both be fulfilled and turned into sight. The only thing left of the three things mentioned in Scripture (faith, hope, and charity [love]) is love. 

Sight is greater than hope and faith, so John says in 1 John 3:2  Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.

Isn't it nice that there is no hope in heaven but a sure and eternal confidence in Christ, who made it all possible by his death, burial, and resurrection.

Speeding

 

My Story #41

Ronnie W. Wolfe

I had purchased a beautiful fire-engine red Chevrolet Impala Super Sport hard-top convertible with bucket seats and an 8-track stereo and was driving down I-75 in those early days when there was not so much traffic on that highway.

I had a young man with me, and in my flesh I decided to see how fast that car would go. I looked around and noticed that the highway ahead of me was clear of any traffic for about three miles ahead, I mean, not one car on the entire road and the road was straight. So, I started driving faster and faster until the speedometer reached 101 miles per hour.

Then it hit me inside, that hurting feeling that I might kill this young man and/or myself by some tragedy. My heart and soul, I think by the Holy Spirit, convicted me; and I brought the car down to the normal 70 miles per hour, which was the legal speed limit.

I felt terrible afterward, and I apologized to the young man, who, I think, was enjoying every minute of it. Then I said to him, "I will never do this again as long as I live." I am almost 77 years old, and I have NEVER done this since, and I think I am too old and feeble to even try it now.

I DON'T KNOW WHAT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED IF I HAD GOT THE CAR OUT OF SECOND GEAR (I am only joking here, of course).

 

I Saw A Flag; I Dropped A Tear

Ronnie W. Wolfe – July 4, 2021

I saw a flag; I dropped a tear.

When I thought of all the hurt and fear

That came to those who gave the most

On Flander’s Field and the Barbary Coast.

 

How sad to see the poppies grow

On Flander’s Field so long ago;

To represent our fallen brave

Who in their hearts success they crave.

 

Francis Scott there wrote that song

For 1812 their soldiers strong,

Who through the night saw soldiers fall,

But the mighty flag flew free and tall.

 

Through the mighty World War One,

Ferdinand and his death so strong,

Drew the forces to the fray

To fight again another day.

 

In World War Two, the weapons rang,

The tanks drove on as the warplanes sang.

Patriotic hearts drew close

And all determined to do their most.

 

With courage needed, they volunteer.

Their strength goes forth from year to year.

But some hold back because of fear.

I saw a flag; I dropped a tear.

 My Story #40

Ronnie W. Wolfe

You have probably never done this, but I have. I actually went to the wrong conference.

I was scheduled to preach at a conference in Kentucky, but there was another conference going on in Kentucky at the same time.

I began to travel to Kentucky to preach in the conference when "second nature" took over, and my "second nature" led me to the conference in Kentucky to which I was not invited to preach. When I arrived, everyone was so glad to see me and told me they were glad I could join them that day.

All at a sudden, I looked around and came to my senses and said, "Oh, I am at the wrong conference." They, of course, were saddened that I could not stay there, but I had to get into my car and travel to the other conference to try to get there in time to preach.

I called the church where I was supposed to be and told them what happened. They had another man to preach in my appointed spot, and I eventually arrived and was able to preach with a little embarrassment. GOD IS GOOD!

 

Our New (Used) Car

 My Story #39

I remember that, in the late 1980's, First Baptist Church members took upon themselves to purchase a nice used car for me and my wife.

I remember that, after the morning service, Shirley and I were led out the front door to see a really nice used Dodge Spirit. Not only did we see the car, but we also saw a giant ribbon tied around the car with a huge bow on the top. This was something new for us to see.

We went out to see the car, and my wife got into the passenger's seat. She sat there for a couple of minutes, and she said, "This is just like being on The Price Is Right." We all had a wonderful laugh out of that. We enjoyed that little car for several years, and we were so thankful to have it.

 

11-Year-Old Boy

 My Story #38

This is the story of an 11-year-old boy who was my neighbor. At that time I lived with my mother, and he would come down to our house every day. We learned to love him. He had some idiosyncrasies that made him special.

Once he came into my bedroom and sat down on the bed beside me. He handed me a small card with a very small picture of himself on it. On the back of the card it read "I love you." I said, "I love you, too." Then I told him about Jesus and prayed with him. He said he trusted in Jesus Christ.

On December 8, 1972, he drowned in a flooded creek down the road from our house. They did not find his body for 28 days. I preached his funeral, which was a sad one. This was only three months after I was married.

Now he lives in a place where people do not drown. They are happy, and there are no more tears or sorrows. I still have that picture along with one more that I took of him. I know God is pleased to have him in heaven.

Anyone who will believe in Jesus Christ can go to heaven. Heaven is a beautiful and an amazing place prepared for them who love the Lord. I hope you are going there by grace through faith in Jesus Christ.

1 Thessalonians 4:14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.

 

I Broke My Nose

 My Story #37:

Ronnie W. Wolfe

I Broke My Nose

My father worked in Covington, Kentucky, and he would go there on Monday and would stay all week in an apartment. The rest of us stayed at home on the farm to keep things going there.

On one occasion, my father came home on Friday evening, and I was excited to see him; but he went to the barn first rather than come into the house. I moved as fast as I could to go out to the barn to see him, but I forgot about a small step off from our front porch. I lost my balance at that step and fell face-first directly onto a rock, and my nose was the first thing that hit the rock. My nose began to bleed, and my father came running. He picked me up and carried me into the house. That is all I wanted: to see my father; but this evening I got more than the sight of him. I didn't really break my nose, but my father thought that I may have, so I got personal attention. HAPPY FATHER'S DAY, DAD in heaven!

Working For Kelly Girl Service

 My Story #36:
Ronnie W. Wolfe

Working For Kelly Girl Service

After graduating from Fugazzi Business College, I had a promise given to me that as long as I live the college would have a job for me. Upon my graduation, they put me in contact with "Kelly Girl Service." Can you imagine that? Of course, I needed the work, so I began to work for them. I took shorthand, typed letters, filed cards and statements, made copies, typed reports and did general secretarial work. I was one of only a few men who worked for Kelly Girl Service.

Then the name was changed to Kelly Services, because more and more men were getting into that kind of work. That name was a little easier for me to tolerate.

The work was mostly temporary; so, from week to week or month to month (and sometimes day to day), I would work for different people doing different things. Once I sat in a lawyer's office all day just to answer the phone while he was in court. The phone did not ring even once. That was one boring day.

I was paid at one time about $1.65 per hour for the work. That was the "going rate." Once while working at AAA Worldwide Travel, I was working through Kelly Services. The lady that I worked for asked me how much Kelly was paying me, and I told her around $1.65. She said she was paying them $2.50 per hour. I told her she could not hire me full time unless I had not worked for her for six months. She said "You're fired." So, she fired me for six months and then hired me back for $2.50 per hour. I was a happy camper.

Even later, when I was teaching and working at Lexington Baptist College, I used Kelly Services to supplement my income on a part-time basis. Those were the days!

 

My Story #35

Ronnie W. Wolfe

Memories of POLIO

When I was two years old, I contracted Polio from somewhere. No one knows for sure what is the source of this disease. When they thought that it was contacted through dirty water and that mostly children contracted Polio, they called it Infantile Paralysis. Later they came up with a more scientific name, Poliomyelitis.

I was taken to five doctors, and none of them could diagnose my condition until the fifth doctor told my parents to take me to the hospital. When we reached the hospital, the doctors there knew immediately what it was.

I was very fortunate that I did not need to be put into an iron lung to breathe, but I did see many of them in the hospital in my young years.

My paralysis was mainly in my legs. My right leg is completely paralyzed, and my left leg is mostly paralyzed. I need to walk with two long-leg braces and crutches. Fortunately, this has not hindered my doing most anything that I wanted to do. Some think that with paralysis comes "no feeling," but I have complete feeling in my legs, for which I am thankful.

In compensation, the Lord gave me strong hands and arms; and with my hands he also gave me a gift for music. Without that, I am sure I would not have accomplished many things that I have been able to do in my life. I am thankful for all the encouragements that I have received through my life which has helped me to keep pushing forward.

The Lord, of course, has been a great help in my life. He has sustained me and kept me from dying more than once. His grace is abundant and free. His gift of faith to me is so appreciated, for without that gift of faith I would never have trusted him. All good and perfect gifts come from above 

.

My Story #34

 

The Mustache Caper #2

There was a shock that went through the crowd when I finally cut off my mustache. People began to ask me why I shaved my mustache. I told them that it seemed that everyone got used to my having it, and they did not give me attention. Now that I have shaved it off, everyone is giving me attention again. That was just a funny little excuse to get a laugh, and it worked for a while. Now everyone is used to my not having a mustache, and that is all right with me. I love not having to work with it all the time.

 

My Story #33:

Ronnie W. Wolfe 

The Mustache Caper

 Sometime in 1960s, Bob Jones, Demas Brubacher, Robert Carpenter, and I were riding along going to or coming from an appointment that we had, and someone said, "Why don't we all grow mustaches?" We discussed it for a few minutes and decided to compete and find out who could grow a mustache first.

We all agreed, and the next day we did not shave our mustache, and the race was on. Bro. Robert Carpenter grew a mustache in a matter of a few days--no competition with him. then I grew on next in line. Bro. Brubacher and Jones grew something, but they never did grow a full mustache. Robert Carpenter and I wore ours for a few years. I think I wore mine for about two years. Robert wore his for several years. Later, Robert grew a full beard and, as far as I know, wears it to this day.

So much for winning (or losing) a competition. I got tired of carrying around a "mustache kit" everywhere we traveled and fooling around with a mustache. So, after two years, I shaved off my mustache and have not had one since.

 

My Story #32:

 Ronnie W. Wolfe

Effects Of Your Witness Left To God

I have often told this story. Once in Lexington, Kentucky, I was walking on the sidewalk beside an elementary school. In the school yard I saw a boy and a girl playing. I decided to go to them and strike up a conversation with the intention of witnessing the gospel to them.

I approached them, said hello, told them who I was, and then I began to chit-chat and then eventually got into telling them about Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection and told them they must believe in Jesus Christ in order to be saved.

There were no visible results shown at that time. I went on my way and left things to the Lord.

Many years later I received a letter from the girl I had spoken with in the school yard. She told me that, after hearing the gospel that day, she trusted the Lord with her whole heart; and she and her brother were both members of a Baptist church and were serving the Lord.

God did that! Isn't it wonderful what God will do through our personal witness? Let's be faithful to give the gospel to as many people as possible. Don't worry about the results; that is up to God--he does it best!

 

My Story #31

 

My Story #31:

My Experience With Armstrongism

Pastor Ronnie Wolfe

As a young teenager, I had a strong desire to know God's word; so I read my Bible often. Along with reading the Bible, I also listened to radio preachers. One of them was Herbert W. Armstrong, whom I loved to hear on a daily basis. He was a good speaker and seemed to be logical and understandable when he spoke, using Bible verses to support his biblical beliefs. My mother also listened to him often.

One evening while listening to Armstrong, I heard him say, as he did often, that there is no reference in "your Bible" about eternal punishment. I wrote that down in my notes. He referenced this passage and emphasized the last part.

Malachi 4:1 For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.

Being convinced that he knew of which he spoke, I marked that verse in my Bible and made cross references to other passage that he and others used to prove that there is no eternal punishment taught in the Bible.

BUT, I continued to read my Bible. One day I came upon a verse on my own. You may be familiar with the verse, as I was not at that young age; so you can imagine my surprise when I read it. Here it is:

Matthew 25:46 And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.

I quickly went into the kitchen where my mother was and told her that I was not going to listen to that man on the radio any more. When she asked me why, I said, "Because he is a liar." She scolded me a little for saying that; but, when I showed her what I had found, she agreed with me.

I did not listen to Herbert W. Armstrong for several years until one day Bro. Milburn Cockrell asked me to write some articles on the cults. I agreed; and, as a help, I signed up for Armstrong's 13-lesson Bible study. It was very revealing.

There is more to the story, but I must not write a book. Suffice it for me to say two things:

1. There are false prophets in the world (Matt. 24:11)
2. Listen to whom you may, but ALWAYS read your Bible.

My Story #30:

  

My Call To Preach

 

I remember well the time when the Lord began to work in my life to cause me to desire the office of a bishop. Sometimes we call this the "Call to Preach."

I am not sure just when it began, but I do remember, even as a young teenager, having a love for God's word and desiring to learn more and more about the Bible. I remember listening to preachers on the radio and taking notes. I remember having a desire to stand on the pulpit to preach the word of God. Those were the beginning years.

After my move to Lexington, the desire grew stronger, and I remember well the evening, as I was sitting on my bed in my upstairs room on Forest Avenue, that the desire to preach was so strong that I actually got up from sitting on the bed, turned a small table around to make a lectern. I stood behind it and preached to nobody, but I preached; and I believe I did a pretty good job.

That weekend, when I came home from Lexington, I went before my church and told the preacher that I had been called to preach. He said, "Well, if you are called to preach, then you will preach for us next Sunday night." That scared me nearly to death. So, the next Sunday night I preached on I don't know what; I still cannot remember; but I preached my first sermon.

The rest, as they say, is history; and a long and glorious history it is. God has blessed me beyond any reasonable description. Through the quartet I have had so many opportunities to preach. I have preached some pretty good messages and some pretty poor ones, but I have preached.

I continue to preach. I have preached in many churches, in many revival meetings, many conferences, and I have taught many college classes, doing my best to distribute the word of God to those who will listen.

I am thankful to First Baptist Church. This church has given me opportunities upon opportunities to preach and teach God's word.

I am not sure that I can completely apply what Paul said, but I am going to at least take the blessing as it applies in 1 Timothy 1:12 And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry; and maybe with Paul, who said in Galatians 1:1 Paul, an apostle, (not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised him from the dead;), though I am not apostle but just a simple preacher of God's word.

May we preachers NOT take our job lightly but study to show ourselves approved unto God, workmen that need not to be ashamed. Certainly we are not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God unto salvation, which we know, not just from reading it in the Bible, but also because we have seen that power manifested in the lives of many people.

Just last week I talked with a woman who told me a story about her son, who was at the time, I think, 11 years old. She said that he stayed all night with me, and the next day while sitting at the kitchen table, he said, "Mom, I want to tell you something." She said, "What, son?" He said, "I stayed all night with Ronnie (that's what the kids called me then), and he told me about the Lord, and I am saved now." After all these years, that is the first thing she talked about when we first spoke on the phone. Then I talked with the boy later, and he is now in his 60's; and that is the first thing he told me when we spoke on the phone. Oh, how I love how God works in our lives to make the gospel powerful!

 

My Story #29:

 Ronnie W. Wolfe

I had Polio when I was two years old, and at the age of 8, I had to have surgery on my right leg and my back (experimental).

After the surgery I was put into a cast that extended from the toes on my right foot all the way up to my underarms. It was one piece, and I had to wear it most of the summer.

I could not sit but had to lie down all the time. My mother would lay down a blanket in the front yard of our house, and I would be set on that blanket and occupied myself with different things to do. I had two beagle dogs who kept me company. Their names were Poncho and Cisco. Sometimes I would have company like the little girl in the picture below. I remember the itch I got under the cast, and my mother would hand me a fly swatter to allow me to put the handle under the cast to scratch my itch--it felt good!

The surgery was experimental: the doctors tried to implant sheep muscle into my leg to see if it would adapt to my body and give me muscle in my leg--it did not work. Later I had more surgeries, but I will not go into detail, and I will not show my scars.

God has been so good to me throughout these things in my life; and you folks have been great friends of mind--I have so many friends! THANK YOU for being my friend.

 

 

My Story #28:

 

My Story #28:

When I first went to Lexington, Kentucky, in 1962, after graduating from high school at 17 years old, I began classes at Fugazzi Business College, where I completed a comprehensive study in about 15 months (equivalent to an associate degree). While there, I began to attend Ashland Avenue Baptist Church.

I had to walk to school many city blocks every day and had no other transportation. After I graduated from Fugazzi, I went to work at First National Bank and Trust Company in Lexington. Before I could drive, I had to borrow money from the bank (which I did) and purchase a car. Then I had to obtain my driver's permit. The car dealer brought the car to the house where I lived and parked it there.

Having to use hand controls to drive, I drew out on paper what I thought would be a good strategy to build a hand control for the car. I took it to a machine shop in town and asked them about making the hand controls. They changed a thing or two and built the hand controls. I remember the cost on the bill was: "parts = $5.00" and "labor = $40.00. That was a complete week's paycheck.

When I got my permit, I had to drive with a licensed driver; and I had met a 16-year-old boy across the street from my house who had just received his driver's license. I asked him if he would go with me to drive, and he was crazy enough to say "yes." I started driving and drove directly into downtown Lexington. My landlady had told me to "just stay between the white lines." That helped, not that I did not already know that.

In a week or two, I went to the courthouse to take my driver's test. The policeman who got in the car with me was shocked to see the hand control and asked me if I had power steering and breaks. When I said "no," he said "Well, I don't know about this." Neither did I. When we had completed the 30-minute test, he said, "That beats all I've ever seen." I got my license. This changed my whole life. My own mother had to write me a letter and ask me, "Are you ever going to come home and see us?" (We did not have cell phones then, and her call to me would have been long distance with a charge). Then I had to be sure to go home more often to satisfy my family. By this time I was acclimated to the Lexington area, and my life went on from there.

 

My Story #27:

 

My Story #27:

The first group of what are called The Bluegrass Boys organized in 1962 was made up of Bob Jones, Ed Kittle, Larry Robbins, and Warren Hartman. I heard them sing in my early years in Lexington, Kentucky, and they were great singers.

In 1963, after the first group disbanded, Bro. Bob Jones got together another group, which includes myself, Bro. Carl Morton, and Bro. Bobby Lakes. We have sung together for over 50 years and have had a great ministry, seeing many saved, enjoying fellowship in great conferences and revival meetings, seeing young men surrender to the ministry and to the mission fields of the world along with many other blessings. God has been so good to bless our ministry. We still sing together from time to time and praise the Lord for his great mercy upon us. We are in pretty good health, for which we are SO thankful to God.

We represented a wonderful school known as Lexington Baptist College. Many of you know about it. We had some exceptional teachers and learned much from their knowledge and wisdom.

Bro. Carl Morton reminded me yesterday, as I talked with him on the phone, of the Sunday when our pastor, Bro. Clarence Walker, told the whole church that "little Ronnie Wolfe" quit his good-paying job at the First National Bank in Lexington to come and work for the school and travel with the Bluegrass Boys. Bro. Walker had no idea how much money I made at the bank. If I had told him, he probably would have fainted, and not because it was much money but that it was so little money.

 

A Saint Patrick's Day Poem

 


    A Saint Patrick’s Day Poem
        By Ronnie W. Wolfe – March 17, 2021

Just beyond the clouds where future rainbows grow,
There is a mystery where the minds of men are sure to go.
It tells of little leprechauns and clovers, leaves of four
And takes our thoughts to where we’ve never been before.

Our hearts are swathed with verdure color stained with Irish pride
As green as pastures beautiful on hills of fertile wide.
Saint Patrick stands in fertile mind as saint whose asps are gone,
Saint Patrick in his Baptist faith made Ireland his home.

He brushed aside all foreign faith to preach his worthy trust,
And lived his saintly life amidst the worldly lust.
At sixteen found his God a must and trusted heart and mind
And gave his life to gospel preach to the men of every kind.

Through suffering flesh and wearied mind he fought the greatest fight.
Baptized thousands to Baptist faith, took Ireland by flight.
Rigid days and lonely nights brought Patrick to the book.
He prayed so many prayers by day, by night to prayer he took.

No rainbow with its pot of gold excited Patrick’s life.
He gave his work to his own Lord and worried not for strife.
He preached the Bible clear and plain, obtained no other power,
And neither stronger arm nor voice could make his witness cower.

So stands this noted, Baptist man, from generations gone.
He stands as witness to the truth but neither stands alone.
Others followed his true course to a world of sinners grand,
Who brought the word here to our shores, this gospel-needing land.

My Story #26:

 

Ronnie W. Wolfe

In the early years of traveling with the Bluegrass Boys, we endured some pretty hard times, though they were joyous and spiritually vitalizing.

In those days we were not put into motels to sleep often; and, when we were, there were two full beds, and we had to sleep two to a bed. I always awoke earlier than the other boys, and they would get aggravated with me for getting up so early and waking them up when I put the braces on my legs. So, I would leave the room and go either outside or into the dining area until they woke up. They slept late, because many times we would stay up and talk with preachers and friends to the wee hours of the morning.

Also, I remember once going to the Ohio State Penitentiary. The temperature must have been -10f, and the wind was blowing hard. We had a long walk from the car to the front door, and we nearly froze to death. That certainly will put a memory in your mind not easily forgotten.

I remember, also, walking in deep mud to go to a mission point in an out-of-the-way place. Those were the days.

But it was all worth the effort and the obstacles, because God always blessed, and we saw some really blessed revivals back then. May God receive the glory!

 

My Story #25:

 

Ronnie W. Wolfe

In the spring of 1967, Bro. Demas Brubaker and Bro. Robert Carpenter graduated from Lexington Baptist College and left the quartet without two singers. In searching for some men to take their place, Bro. Bob Jones found Bro. Carl Morton and Bro. Bobby Lakes, who had been singing together in a trio. These two men became a real blessing to our quartet, and we have continued to sing throughout these last 54 years.

We have seen great revivals, many saved, and some men called to preach. Our ministry has been a great blessing, not only to those who listened to us sing and preach but also to ourselves in a way of personal revival and encouragement.

We still sing from time to time and enjoy our fellowship together and our singing together to the glory of the Lord.

 

My Story #24:

 

Ronnie Wolfe

As I sat in the pew at Ashland Avenue Baptist Church one Sunday after Bro. Clarence Walker was no longer pastor and Bro. Ross Range was pastor, I listened as Bro. Rosco Brong preached a message entitled "Moses, thy servant, is dead." He was speaking to those who wanted Bro. Range to be and do as Bro. Walker did things, but Bro. Brong reminded the people that Bro. Walker is no longer the pastor and that the people should now follow the leadership of Bro. Range.

This was very good advice; and, although we missed Bro. Walker greatly, we learned to love and appreciate Bro. Ross Range as well. He was a good pastor to this memorable 

 

My Story #23:

  

While coming back, I believe, from South Carolina, the Bluegrass Boys Quartet were crossing the Blueridge mountains late at night when suddenly we came upon a mule standing in the middle of the road. There was no shooing away this mule (you know how they are). All we could do is simply wait until the mule was ready to mosey off and go his way.

These late nights are what made us very sleepy the next morning in our 7:00 class. Only once was I to fall asleep in one of those classes. It was near the end of the school year. Someone pointed out that I was sleeping, and Bro. Johnny Thompson said (they told me later) "Well, just let him sleep; he deserves it." I thought that was very nice of him.

Those were hard days and nights, but I would not trade them now for anything. Our travels were good for us, good for the churches we visited, and good for Lexington Baptist College. We are so thankful to be able to serve the Lord.

Even now we never know whom we shall affect in a positive way in relation to the gospel of Jesus Christ. Let's just keep preaching and teaching until we are with the Lord!

 

My Story #22:

 Pastor Ronnie Wolfe

All of us at LBC loved Mrs. Brong. She was our librarian, and a good one she was. She was very organized and faithful to her job. We had a wonderful library at LBC. Many of the books were given to the library by widows of preachers who had died, some were given to the library from students, and others were purchased, but we were always availed to some of the finest research material available.

One thing we loved about Mrs. Brong was the way she could manipulate Bro. Rosco Brong, her husband. Once a student was speaking to another student in the hall and said something like "Well, my wife does what I say; that is the Bible way." Bro. Brong, as he was passing by, said, "Do you know what God said to Abraham?" The student said, "No, what?" Bro. Brong said "God told Abraham to hearken to his wife. Maybe you should do the same." I think Bro. Brong had put that into practice.

 

My Story #21:

 Pastor Ronnie W. Wolfe

This story is not associated with Lexington Baptist College but with Ashland Avenue Baptist Church where I was a member in those day when I attended LBC. This story comes up in my preaching sometimes, and it is one that taught me a good lesson.

In Ashland Avenue's large church there were no weekday ministries held for youth. Being in the Southern Baptist Convention, there was available a program called Royal Ambassadors. I decided that I would start a group of boys to meet one evening per week to study the Bible and to give them the gospel.

The story that I tell here is one concerning one boy whose family were Roman Catholic. He came with some boys who were friends of his. We had some very good discussions about his beliefs, and I explained the gospel to him the best I knew how.

One evening, after he had told me he had trusted the Lord, I asked him to pray for us. I do not remember the exact words that he said, but I will never forget his prayer. He spoke to God as though God were right there in the room. He was not familiar with the prayers of Baptists in which prayers are begun with "Dear Lord" or "Our Father," so he began his prayer with "Well God . . . ." That put a small shock into each of our minds, but we knew that there was nothing wrong with that in itself. He talked to God for a moment or so, and then he closed his prayer. You see, neither did he know how Baptists end their prayers with "In Jesus' name. Amen." So, he just said, "Well, God, that's all," and he just stopped his prayer.

To me this was pleasantly simply and to the point, and I would not be surprised to know that God actually heard this young man's prayer.

My Story #20:

 I remember so well when Bro. Walker at Ashland Avenue Baptist Church chose ME out of all the members of the church (and there were many) to take the picture of the groundbreaking for the new building for Lexington Baptist College (the picture of this building above). He bragged on what a good photographer I was, but in reality I was not a really good photographer, though I dabbled in photography as a hobby.

It was such privilege to stand with Bro. Walker and some of the other men who were present as the shovel was pressed into the ground to break the ground for the building of a new place for Lexington Baptist College to meet. I remember that later I had to open the building at 6:30 AM to teach my first class at 7:00 AM. "Those were the days."

The picture I took was printed in the Ashland Avenue Baptist paper later. I would post the picture here if I could find it, but I don't think I can right now.